Felice Clemente - 6:35 Am

The Felice Clemente Trio's 6:35 AM was awarded four stars by Downbeat. This Italian saxophonist's 10th album looks forward while revering the past. The ingredients for "Popular Jazz" are all present: recognizable themes, dancing rhythms, colorful timbers, rich expressivity. But with them comes a willingness to improvise, inventing a new pathway that arrives at a common sonic destination. This is a superb album.